Beyond the Frontlines

Alexandra Dols – France, 2017 – 113 minutes – spoken language: English, Arabic, Hebrew, with English subtitles

This screening is part of the Studium Generale Program “Normalising the Abnormal”.

“Throughout the series Normalising the Abnormal, we have taken different approaches to better understanding the mechanisms at play in the sense of alienation and saturation many experience in a tumultuous world. We close off the series with a unique documentary, Beyond the Frontlines by French cineast Alexandra Dols. Her award-winning film is an exceptional case study of the professional experience and writings of the East Jerusalem based psychiatrist, Dr. Samah Jabr.

The documentary traces Dr. Jabr’s work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories where she shares the normalisation of the abnormal from a very different perspective; the states of mind amid her Palestinian patients. The private conversations with the specialist are presented in a multi-voiced movie, featuring interviews and columns which are intertwined together with poetic escapes making the viewer privy to the invisible dimensions of occupation narrated by the expert specialist. It is a unique window into cognitive load resilience strategies, the de-colonisation of the mind beyond the front lines and, the ways in which Palestinians have come to cope and hope.”

Warning: This film contains scenes that may be unsuitable for young or sensitive audiences.

Free entrance for WUR-card holders: reserve a seat under “10-zittenkaart”.